Nasa leaders put the electoral commission on the spot and said
they would set up their own presidential tallying system for the August 8
General Election.
The four National Super Alliance leaders also questioned the readiness of the electoral commission to conduct the elections.
They
said the commission was under-funded and this week cancelled the Sh3
billion integrated elections management systems tender.
But
electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati warned immediately that
the commission was the only one constitutionally mandated to announce
results and declare winners.
“The parallel vote
tallying centre that the Opposition has proposed is not recognised in
law and whatever comes out of it will not make a difference,” said Mr
Chebukati at a press conference in his Nairobi office on Friday.
At
the rally, Mr Raila Odinga (ODM), Mr Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Mr
Musalia Mudavadi (Amani National Congress) and Mr Moses Wetang’ula (Ford
Kenya) declared that they would hold a “peaceful revolution” should the
election not be credible.
Mr Mudavadi sharply criticised an order given this week by
Internal Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery, who said mass action would
not be allowed after the election.
“They have cancelled
the tender and now they are going manual. This time round we shall have
our own presidential tallying centre such as they had in Ghana. It is
not the monopoly of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission or
Jubilee to bring this biometric system. We shall bring our own. We shall
no longer cry again,” said Mr Musyoka.
The leaders
were also keen to demonstrate their unity, with Mr Mudavadi urging
supporters to back whoever is picked as the Opposition presidential
candidate.
Ahead of the rally at Masinde Muliro Gardens
in Mathare, Nairobi, Nasa leaders had said that the Opposition alliance
would make a major announcement. The expectation was that they would
name the flagbearer. They did not.
NOT BREAKING UP
They were all united in declaring that none of the four would quit the coalition after it nominates its flagbearer.
Mr
Odinga praised Mr Musyoka, describing him as a courageous leader. This
watered down claims that Mr Musyoka would quit the coalition.
“All
of us are in Nasa. Kalonzo is totally with us and there are no gaps. He
stood with me in 2013. He is a man,” said Mr Odinga.
The
leaders also accused the government of “deliberately denying the
electoral commission enough funds” so it could resort to a manual system
that was open to manipulation.
“How is it possible that they don’t have adequate budget?” asked Mr Mudavadi.
At
Masinde Muliro Gardens, the four political leaders sought to reassure
their supporters that the National Super Alliance ship is intact.
In
what appeared to be a new strategy to prepare supporters to accept any
candidate that would be selected as flagbearer, Mr Odinga was the first
to speak before inviting Mr Musyoka, his 2013 running mate, who in turn
invited Mr Wetang’ula.
The Bungoma Senator then invited Mr Mudavadi before other MPs addressed the gathering.
Mr Mudavadi dwelt at length on seeking to calm the waters, asking their supporters to embrace whoever would be nominated.
“This
thing of saying if it is not so and so we shall not vote should not
arise,” he said. “Those who think like that are Jubilee supporters”.
He
reminded supporters that Nasa’s aim was to remove Jubilee from power
and asked them to support whoever is picked as flagbearer. He described
the Opposition coalition as a “big tent” that was enough to accommodate
everyone.
Nairobi
Governor Evans Kidero, who invited Mr Odinga, set the tone for the
meeting, telling the crowd that Nasa is confident of winning most
national and county assembly seats.
Mr Odinga criticised President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying he had mismanaged the economy.
“They
say they have built 7,500 kilometres of roads. That is like going from
Nairobi to Rome. Where in Kenya are these roads?” Mr Odinga asked.
According to him, only 500 kilometres of roads had been built since 2013.
NASA'S PLOT
Mr
Mudavadi also criticised Jubilee’s handling of the economy, saying the
ruling party had sunk the country deeper into debt, leading to a rise in
the cost of goods likes maize flour and fuel.
Mr Musyoka said Kenya is ripe for change as it happened recently in Nigeria, Ghana and the Gambia.
“This
time election thieves won’t continue stealing. Kenya is ready for a
peaceful revolution. As Nasa we believe in peace but it cannot be taken
for granted because the peace comes as a result of fair and credible
elections,” he said.
Mr Wetang’ula revisited the post-election violence debate triggered by President Kenyatta in Kisii on Thursday.
“Uhuru
says Raila is the one who started the post-election violence. He should
carry out investigations to establish who burnt the people in the
church in Eldoret. Kenyans are not fools,” he said.
He said the old wounds should be let to heal so that the country can focus on the present and the future.
Meanwhile,
Jubilee Party on Friday accused the Opposition of hatching a plot to
ensure the General Election is not held in August.
Addressing
a news conference at the party’s headquarters, the party's
secretary-general, Mr Raphael Tuju, claimed that Nasa was hell bent on
interfering with the elections through court cases to make sure the
polls do not take place.
“They have blocked procurement
of ballot papers, the audit of the voter register, the tendering for
computer equipment. They also accused national intelligence service of
registering foreigners as voters and claimed the duplications on the
voter registration showed the system had been rigged,” he said.
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